In the second act of Charles Ludlam's madcap "The Mystery of Irma Vep," now on stage at Next Act Theatre, a frightened Lady Enid (a cross-dressed John McGivern) turns to housekeeper Jane Twisden (a cross-dressed Norman Moses) and pines for the protective presence of Nicodemus, her faithful manservant.

With the twitch of a smile and a twinkle in his eye, Moses' ordinarily prim Jane make clear that calling Nicodemus on stage just then simply isn't possible. | May 5, 2013»Read Full Article(1)

If you're worried about the future of classical music, you should really hear this weekend's Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra concert, which features both a conductor and soloist of the under-30 set.

Guest conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali led the orchestra through beautifully crafted interpretations of music by Carl Nielsen and Jean Sibelius on Friday evening. He and the orchestra were joined by cellist Andreas Brantelid in a deeply musical rendering of Dmitri Shostakovich's Concerto No. 1 for Cello and Orchestra. | Feb. 22, 2014»Read Full Article